Copy of Toddler struck, killed as mother backed truck out of driveway in Westminster

WESTMINSTER, Colo. — A mother backing a truck out of a driveway of a home in Westminster fatally hit her 2-year-old daughter Wednesday morning in what appears to have been an accident, police said.

Westminster Police Department Spokeswoman Cheri Spottke said the mother was leaving the home, which is located on the 8600 block of Zuni Street in the Highview Mobile Home Community, to drive two of her children to school around 7:05 a.m. As she backed a truck out of the driveway, she hit the toddler.

The 2-year-old was pronounced deceased at the scene, Spottke said. Authorities are talking with the mother and neighbors to determine how the incident happened.

Spottke said this appears to be a "unfortunate tragic accident." Drugs or alcohol use is not suspected.

"We don't believe that this is anything but an accident, but we always treat it as if there's questions just so that we can make sure nothing illegal happened," she said.

Mary Miller lives in the neighborhood and said she saw the incident.

She said the family is friendly and the mother is great with her kids. The situation saddened her because the mother was the person behind the wheel, she said.